Desperate for an escape from the corrupt charade that football has become (Thanks FIFA) I leapt at the opportunity to attend an old school, grass roots sporting event in the heart of East London. So last Saturday I jumped on my bicycle with a pair of brand-new running spikes and cycled through East London to the Mile End stadium.
The Mile End Miles (a 1-mile race organised by Victoria Park Harriers) entered its 2nd year and true to form it was a great day of running, fun and general athleticism.
The mile is (almost) exactly 4 laps of a running track and with a large crowd, commentator, pacers and electronic timing it can be an intimidating event, even for seasoned athletes. I was pacing on the day and so didn't feel the pressure to win a race or get a personal best, but it's very different from what I'm used to these days and I found the different stresses on the body quite intriguing.
Running round a track sounds like it should be far kinder on the body than running in the mountains but the truth is that in many ways the stresses placed on the body are far harsher on a running track. As a pacer I was told I had to wear spikes, I never understand why but wearing spikes on track does make me feel like a serious runner.
I rarely wear spikes these days apart from my anual attempt at cross country running and every time I forget how different running in spikes is to trainers, every year I wake up with crippling doms (delayed onset muscle soreness) in my calfs the next day. Some people claim that the link between running spikes and calf pain is due to the lack of cushioning under the heel but it's actually far more to do with the spikes being at the front of the shoe and forcing you to effectively run on your toes (thus placing the calfs under constant strain).
The short, fast explosive nature of the mile distance also places the body at much greater risk of injuries such as graded calf strains (gastrocnemius and soleus), in a longer race people will generally start slower and so gradually warm up the muscles. Having said that, most of the athletes I encountered at Mile End did seem to take their warm up seriously. Sensible warm-ups definitely seem more ingrained in the track running community of East London than in the world of northern Fell running.
Despite my best efforts at warming up and warming down I woke up the next morning with crippling calf pain. Initially terrified I had an injury I started texting my favourite osteopaths and physios to see who was free that afternoon but after a brief walk and stretch I realised it was nothing more than a bit of muscular strain and a great excuse for a sports massage. I managed to get a sports massage that afternoon and low and behold woke up the next morning with all calf pain gone.
I had a great time at the mile event and will certainly return next year. Hopefully next time I'll remember to do a bit of training in spikes during the build up as well as allocating some time to work on my explosive speed work, maybe even some sprint training.